life through love
by clexation
Summary: Heads up, Friar. She's gonna be a handful. — Lucas/Maya, past-present-future AU.
1. Chapter 1

She learned to keep her mouth shut from a young age - her father didn't like it when she interrupted him. She became quiet, talking only when she needed to. She spent hours in her room, playing with dolls, pretending they were her parents. In the doll's house, they never fought, and every Sunday they went out to the ice cream shop. In her house, her parents always yelled at each other, arguing over money and jobs, but most of all, herself.

"Nobody wants to buy art!" Her father would yell. "You need to stop encouraging her, and focus on finding a job."

"I want to let Maya show us who she really is." Her mother would argue. "She hardly speaks, and that's your fault. We never get to see her anymore, and she's starting school next month."

"I just want her to be successful."

"And I just want her to be happy."

Her mother took her to the playground to make new friends, but instead she would lay on the ground, drawing with chalk. Instead of playing board games, she would sketch a flower, or a lion. Her drawings were good, for a five year old, and she took pride in them. Her mother would set up canvas and paint for her, and she would spend hours painting. Sometimes she would make a magical kingdom, with her parents as the king and queen, and sometimes she would paint her house. One day, she painted a dark gray background, with their yellow house in the foreground. The paint she used was too bright, so she mixed it with brown, making a dusty looking yellow. She painted black trees, shadowy and crisp, with a few dark gray leaves clinging to the branches. When her father saw it, he ripped it in half, throwing it into the dumpster behind the diner where her mom worked. He refused to tell her why, but she heard him talking with her mom later.

"She sees this house like a dungeon!" He yelled.

"Maybe it's not as surreal as we thought."

"Dammit, Katy! She's the most surreal artist I've ever seen. You know what this means."

She never found out what 'this' meant. She only knew that her father moved out the next day, leaving a bouquet of white roses behind for his daughter. She didn't see him after that, and wouldn't for a long time after. Her mother spent a whole day locked in her room. Maya could hear sobs coming through the door. Choked, heartbroken sobs. But she herself wasn't too upset, really. He hadn't been much of a father to her, and she never really got to know him. Sure, she missed him, but she didn't understand yet why the situation was so sad. Because she wouldn't get to participate in father-daughter activities anymore, and her father would never take her out to get ice cream after a piano recital.

"He wasn't much of a dad, anyway." She told herself.

* * *

It was her first day of school. Skipping Stone Elementary, the closest, cheapest school they could find. She wasn't nervous as she walked through the doors, carrying her little blue lunchbox in one hand, and a backpack half full with cheap pencils and a flimsy notebook. She went to the room at the end of the hall - room 12. As she walked in, she saw the other kids already sitting down at their desks. She sat in the only empty one, which was right behind a brunette girl in a pink dress. Maya rolled her eyes. She had always been more of a tomboy, choosing red over pink, but blue overall, with jeans and tee shirts instead of skirts or dresses.

"Hi!" The brunette in front of her turned around, smiling perkily. "I'm Riley."

"Maya." Maya responded, ignoring the other girl's hand.

"Well, Maya." The teacher said, walking to her desk. "You were late, but I'll let that go for today, since it is your first day."

Maya looked down at her sneakers, blushing. She didn't like being called out - it normally meant getting in trouble.

"Okay, class." The teacher introduced herself. "I'm Mrs. Albert, your teacher."

Maya snorted. _Like I didn't already know that._

Mrs. Albert glanced at Maya curiously, but continued with the lesson.

At lunch, Riley sat next to Maya. The blonde looked up, surprised. She had been drawing their classroom in great detail, but couldn't remember how the continents on the globe were laid out.

"Hi!" Riley greeted, all smiles. "What're you working on?"

"Um…" Maya trailed off, looking at Riley in wonder.

Riley pulled the small sketchbook out of Maya's hands, looking at the drawing. "This is really good."

"Thank you." May blushed.

Riley stared at it for a few more seconds. "This is really _really_ good."

As the week went on, Riley continued to sit with Maya every day at lunch. She watched her sketch, oblivious to the hidden meanings behind all the drawings.

"What's this?" She asked one day, pointing to a picture in the book.

"That's a baby bird." Maya explained patiently.

"Why's it on the ground?" Riley tilted her head innocently.

"It fell out of it's nest." Maya told her, shutting the book abruptly. "Let's eat."

That weekend, Riley invited Maya for a playdate. As the two walked into Riley's house, Maya stared around in wonder.

"This place is really nice." Maya looked around rapidly, trying to take it all in at once. "What's that?"

"That's a TV, silly." Riley laughed. "We use it to watch things, like sports and ponies."

"Hi Riley!" A woman said, stepping out of the hallway. "Who's this?"

"This is Maya, mommy." Riley said, bouncing happily. "We're having a playdate."

"Hi, Maya." The woman held out her hand. "I'm Topanga."

"Hello." Maya said, shyly shaking Topanga's hand.

"Hey, Riley!" A loud voice came from the hallway. A man stepped out, standing behind Topanga. "Make a new friend?"

"This is Maya." Riley introduced her again, still bouncing.

"Hello, Maya." The man said, smiling hugely. "I'm Cory."

Noticing her sketchbook, Topanga tilted her head. "Whatcha got there?"

Maya moved her book further behind her back, but Riley answered for her. "That's her sketchbook. She draws things really well."

Cory knelt down in front of the blonde. "May I see?" He asked gently.

Slowly, Maya brought the book out from behind her back. Cory took it carefully, opening it to the first page. There, on the front, was a drawing of her classroom. The page after that, a woman stared out at him. She wore a dirty waitress outfit, with a nametag. _Katy Hart_.

"Is this your mom, sweetie?" Topanga asked, looking over Cory's shoulder.

"Sometimes." Maya answered truthfully. "Sometimes it doesn't really feel like she is."


	2. Chapter 2

Maya and Riley continued to play together each day after school. Sometimes they would go to Riley's house, or sometimes they would stay at the playground at school. Nobody ever asked why they didn't go to Maya's house - Riley knew that topic was off limits. They would sit together in Riley's bedroom, braiding each other's hair or playing cards.

"Got any two's?" Riley would ask.

"Go fish."

Riley often tried to persuade Maya to play dolls with her, but Maya refused. She had given them up when her father moved out, claiming to have lost interest. Riley only asked about her father once. It was two weeks after they met, and Riley had just met Maya's mom for the first time that morning.

"_Where's your daddy, Maya?" Riley asked innocently._

"_He's gone." Maya responded, voice careful. She didn't want Riley to stop being her friend just because her dad left._

"_My dad leaves sometimes." Riley continued, oblivious to the warning looks Maya was giving her. "He always comes back, though. He says it's for his work. He works at a school, but they go on lots of field trips, so he has to leave sometimes."_

"_Oh." Was all Maya said, and Riley had dropped the topic, opting instead to play tag on the playground. Maya hadn't argued._

The rest of the year flew by, leaving the two girls on the front steps on the last day of school.

"We'll hang out this summer, right?" Riley asked eagerly.

"Actually, me and my family always go campi…" Maya trailed off. "Sure, we'll hang out."

"Cool. Here's my mom's phone number. You guys can call when you want to come over."

"Actually, my mom says the phone is only for emergencies. I don't think she can afford the phone bill."

"There's a bill for the phone?" Riley asked in awe.

Maya laughed. "How about I'll come over later today and we can figure it out."

"Okay." Riley said happily, and with that, Maya began to walk home.

Later that day, Maya swung in through Riley's window for the first time. "I couldn't remember your last name for the speaker box." She explained.

"It's Matthews, but you can just come through my window. It's easier." Riley told her, motioning towards the window.

Maya ended up sleeping over at Riley's that night, saying her mom wouldn't be home till the day after next.

"Your mom leaves you home alone?" Topanga asked, concerned.

"Sometimes." Maya shrugged. "I'm used to it."

"Tell you what, Maya. Any time your mom has to leave you home, you just swing through that window, okay?" Cory told her, pointing towards Riley's bedroom.

"Thanks, Mr. Matthews, but my mom says we can't afford daycare."

"It's free, Maya. You can always come stay with us."

* * *

In the middle of summer break, Maya suddenly disappeared. She stopped going to hang out at the Matthews place, and nobody had heard from or seen her in the last two days. Riley was getting worried, and Cory and Topanga weren't sure what to do. They spent two days driving around the city, looking for the missing best friend. Riley didn't know where she lived, so they just cruised around the main places they had seen Maya - by Skipping Stone, around the bakery, even on the fire escape outside of Riley's window. They couldn't find her. They were just about to give up, when Cory spotted a small blonde girl on a bench in the corner of the park.

"Topanga, that's her." He said, pointing like a child.

"Are you sure? You've said that three times already, and you weren't right."

"No, that's her." Riley confirmed. "See her boots?"

They got out of the car, walking quietly towards the bench where the girl in question sat, drawing. Riley timidly walked up to her. Maya looked up, smiling as she recognized her friend. They exchanged brief greetings before Cory stepped in.

"Where've you been, Maya?" He asked carefully.

"Around." She answered cheerfully, not looking up from her drawing.

That was all she would tell them. "I've been around," or "Nowhere, really," were her general responses. When they asked about her mother, she frowned.

"She's gone again." She said, like it was obvious.

"Why didn't you come by?" Topanga asked.

"Riley's window was locked. I thought it meant you didn't want me to come by for a while." Maya looked up as she spoke, still smiling, but confused.

"Maya, you can always come over." Riley sat down next to her friend. "Right daddy?"

"Right." Cory confirmed, and Topanga nodded. "You can consider yourself part of our family, Maya. Remember that."

"Thanks, Mrs. Matthews." Maya said, slightly offhandedly. "I don't want to be a burden."

"You're not a burden, Maya." Riley said quickly. "You can be my sister."

"Yeah…" Maya beamed at her best friend. "I'd like that."

* * *

Maya continued to grow into her personality. She became slightly sarcastic, beginning to slack off schoolwork as she entered third grade Her fashion sense turned from 'trouble' to 'you definitely don't wanna mess with me'. Riley also began to develop her personality and style, choosing flowers over frills, and kindness over anything else. Auggie was born a little after Maya turned nine, leaving the Matthews' hands full. Maya knew that babies had to be hard work, so she stayed away from the Matthews house after that. She only visited once or twice a week, always making some excuse about homework or helping her mom repaint the diner. _As if my mom would ever ask for my help_. Riley never figured out what was going on, but Cory and Topanga did. They let it go, though, only making sure to tell Maya she was welcome whenever and to tell Riley to make sure Maya had food to eat. Her lack of lunches in second grade worried them, and they wanted to make sure she ate more this year.

"So." Maya said as she walked into class one day. "Who's the new kid?"

"I'm Farkle." The boy said, smiling flirtatiously up at her. "And you are?"

"In third grade." She smirked at him. "Keep dreaming, Romeo."

As she sat down, she thought she heard him say "I will."

Farkle became friends with the two, always eating lunch with them on the swings and choosing them for three person class projects. He flirted with both of them equally, and took rejection quite well for a eight year old. The teachers thought he was hilarious - or his flirting, anyway - but always respected him. He had the highest grades in the school, always a little higher than Riley's.

"A+!" He would announce, right before Riley would yell "A!".

"C." Maya always said after them, nodding her head. Even in third grade, her expectations for life were low, so she figured her teacher's expectations of her should be, too.

Riley and Farkle were often confused when she tried to explain it to them. "If you understand the math, why don't you do it right?"

"Because," She would answer. "If I get a good grade each time, they'll be disappointed when I get bad ones."

"Farkle doesn't understand." Farkle always slipped into the third person when he was confused.

"Never mind." She would shake her head, returning to her math homework.

* * *

Third, fourth, and fifth grade went on like this, each friend learning more about their personalities each day. Sixth grade was exciting - their first year of middle school. It was filled with lots of surprises (more homework, less recess) and a few new people. Missy Bradford came into their school halfway through the year. She had just moved from somewhere, and was very petty. Riley was friends with her for a short time, until she learned that Missy had been bullying Maya.

_Rounding the corner, Riley almost ran into the person she'd been running after._

"_Maya, why won't you talk to me?"_

"_I will. I am right now, see?"_

"_Then why won't you tell me what's going on?"_

_Maya bit her lip. She didn't want to tell Riley about the fight she'd just started with Missy. In her opinion, Missy had started it, but she couldn't deny that she'd thrown the first punch._

"_I know someone's bullying you, and I know you're strong enough to deal with it. I just want to know who."_

_At that minute, Missy came out of the principal's office, icepack on eye._

"_I don't understand why you're friends with this little brat." She spat, glaring at Maya._

"_Funny, I was thinking the same thing." Maya retorted, smirking at the bully._

After the Missy incident, Riley and Maya had been closer. Maya still didn't share everything with Riley - some things were just too much for her best friend, like her father, or why her mom was never home. Why their house was her jail cell. But they did grow closer, gaining more trust. Nobody really understood their friendship - not even Farkle - but it worked. It always worked out, even after the time when Maya started dating Cole.

"_He's an idiot! He flirts with everything that has legs!"_

"_Why can't you just be happy for me?"_

Or the time Riley broke Maya's arm under a bookshelf.

"_Riles, it's okay. I'm okay."_

"_I know, Maya, but I'm really sorry. Maybe indoor soccer wasn't the best idea."_

"_I'd do it again. It was fun."_

Or any of the other times their friendship was tested. The only real time it was in danger was in seventh grade.

With Lucas Friar.


	3. Chapter 3

Looking back, their arguments about Lucas seemed ridiculous and naive. The three met him in seventh grade, and one immediately took a liking to him. He was kindhearted and smart, with just the right amount of country upbringing. He wasn't shamed by Maya's comments about his Texan roots, or Riley's subtle flirting. They had to admit, he flirted back just as much. So nobody understood why he never asked Riley out. He turned, instead, to Maya. They went on four dates - four treasured dates - before Riley found out.

"_How could you do this to me, Maya?" She screamed, infuriated._

"_Riley, I'm sorry, but he asked me out! I didn't ask him!"_

"_You should've said no!"_

"_I did. He kept coming back! It got out of hand - he brought me one rose, then two, then sixteen. I had to agree when he kept leaving notes for me. And I had fun on our first date, so I went out on another."_

"_I thought you were my best friend!"_

_Maya recoiled, shocked. Riley had never questioned their friendship before, and from the look on her face, she knew it. She looked scared, like she didn't want to lose Maya, but she was also angry._

"_Fine. I'll break up with Lucas. But I'm not coming back."_

True to her word, Maya broke up with Lucas the next day. She didn't show up to school for two weeks after, and avoided Riley and her parents whenever possible.

"_Riley," Cory begged her daughter after the second week. "I know you're mad, but nobody's seen Maya or Katy in two weeks. Aren't you worried?"_

_Riley was worried. Worry was eating her from the inside out, gnawing at her stomach, and making it hard to eat._

"_I know, dad. But what should I do? She knew how much I liked him, and she went out with him anyway."_

"_Riley, I think Maya liked him just as much as you. Remember, she broke up with him for you. He was pretty heartbroken. He missed class - actually, I don't think he showed up to school at all that day."_

It was true. But he had come back the next week, completely normal. He didn't mention Maya, and nobody had the nerve to ask what had happened. Eventually, Maya forgave Riley, and Riley forgave Maya. They continued with their normal lives, never mentioning those four dates again. Maya knew what she did was wrong, and Riley knew what she did was selfish, but they would both live with the guilt for the rest of their lives. One year later, Lucas finally asked Riley out. He did it in the most normal way possible - a note in her locker. Of course, she was thrilled, and accepted immediately. They had gone on three dates before they both realized it wasn't working. Their relationship ended on good terms.

For ninth grade, Maya attended a one year art academy. She had been reluctant to leave her friends, but she got a full scholarship, and finally decided to go.

"_I'll meet you right here when I get back."_ She had promised, sitting on the rail of the fire escape outside Riley's window.

"_I'll miss you."_

"_You too."_

Maya and Riley saw each other 367 days after that. They had counted the minutes until Maya would arrive at their door. Of course, the Matthews had planned a giant 'Welcome Back, Maya' party, setting up decorations in the living room. They all waited for her eagerly, sitting and watching the door. Even Auggie knew how important it was that Maya was coming back. He knew she was like a sister to Riley, and they all knew how much she loved her sister.

"_Hey, goofballs." A familiar voice came from behind them. Everyone turned to see Maya perched on Riley's windowsill, wearing her classic smirk._

Farkle had eventually moved away with his dad, leaving Lucas, Riley, and Maya to finish high school together. Slowly, the years blended together, until they were graduating. Riley was valedictorian, and Maya and Lucas graduated with honors. Katy even showed up to see her daughter finish high school, taking the whole day off work to get ice cream with her and the Matthews afterwards. Maya smiled as she finished off her chocolate cone.

_It's not perfect_. She thought. _But it's close enough for me_.

And it was. Except for Lucas.

Lucas became a sore subject for her. Whenever Riley brought him up, she would quickly change the subject or find some excuse to leave. She began to avoid sitting with him, opting to skip lunch and draw instead whenever he sat with Riley. After three months avoiding him, Riley finally came to her.

"_Maya, I know why you're not happy." The brunette best friend said to her one day._

"_What do you mean?" Maya asked her friend. "I am happy. I have an okay life. I have you."_

_Riley sat in silence for a few minutes. "But you don't have-"_

_Maya stood up abruptly. "Y'know what? I'm gonna go get some fries." _

"_Maya, you can't afford fries." Riley reminded her friend sadly. The Hart family had been low on money ever since Maya graduated, and they wouldn't accept help from the Matthews. "You want me to buy them for you?"_

_Maya bit her lip. She hated the charity Riley's family had to give them, but she was starving. She hadn't had anything to eat the entire day._

"_Come on." Riley told her, taking her arm and dragging her out of the library. "I know what you need."_

_Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Lucas's house._

"_What are we doing here?" Maya asked, incredulous. "I thought we were getting fries."_

"_Nope." Riley rang the doorbell. "There's something you need more."_

"_More than food?" Maya grumbled._

"_Maya, do you know who lives here?"_

"_No." Maya said, but as she looked up at the cowboy hat hanging above the door, the nice, neat garden flowers lining the brick path to the large yellow house, she knew. "No, Riley, I'm fine, I swear. Let's just go get some food. I'm hungry."_

_Riley almost let herself be pulled away, but just before she turned around, a boy opened the door. His boots were scuffed, and his pants had a hole in the knee, but his plaid shirt still framed his shoulders and chest nicely, and his eyes hadn't changed at all._

"_Riley." He greeted her, before looking past her to the blonde, who looked like she was trying to melt into the floor. "Maya."_

"_Howdy, Cowboy." She greeted halfheartedly, trying to make the situation lighter with her old jokes._

"_Okay, you two." Riley pushes the frenemies closer. "You guys need to talk."_

Nobody but them knows what was said that night, and nobody ever will. Maya and Lucas got back together, with Riley's full support. Their fifth date consisted of eating chocolate strawberries while lying on her roof, playfully teasing while looking at the stars, and him giving her his jacket when she got too cold.

"_This is so cliche." She told him when he handed it to her._

"_Yeah." He smiled. "Sometimes that's okay."_

Their sixth date was two weeks later, once he got back from Texas. There was a lot of playful nickname insults directed at each other, and he even went so far as to buy her a cowboy hat, which he threw on her head once they met at the airport.

_"Hey, shortie."_


	4. Chapter 4

Things went back to normal between the three friends. Farkle even came back to visit once. They were all excited to see eachother again.

Lucas and Maya were still happily together, and Riley had found someone else to obsess over. His name was Ethan, and (according to Maya) he was just like Riley. They both saw the best in people, and they were both socially awkward. He was a little shy, but once he got an earful of Maya's teasing, he became almost as competitive as her.

Farkle found someone, too. They Skyped the two one day, and were surprised to see that Caroline wasn't like Farkle at all. She had short brown hair, but that was where the similarities ended. She wore glasses, and fancy clothes. She was tall, and he had to stand on his toes just to kiss her. They all laughed at that - their friend had always been short.

There were definitely up sides to the friendship between the four, but there were downsides, too. Lucas had knee surgery after tearing his ACL in baseball, and Farkle couldn't be there for him. Riley's brother, Auggie, got pneumonia for three weeks. That scared the hell out of them all. And Maya kept getting poorer.

He found her going through a trash can once. She denied everything, saying she 'lost her bracelet' even though everyone knew the only jewelry she wore was her locket. After that, he and Riley began slipping her extra food when she was around them. But the extra food scraps weren't enough.

She passed out once on a date with him, because of her low blood sugar. He rode with her, all the way to the hospital, leaving her side only once (to buy a Hershey's bar in case she was hungry when she woke up). Riley came minutes later, frantically apologizing for being so late, although she arrived barely seven minutes after he did. Maya woke up an hour later, and it turned out he was right - she did want the chocolate.

She lifted her head sleepily. "Lucas?"

"Hey, Princess." He looked at her worriedly. "How ya doin'?"

She squinted a little, as if she couldn't see him clearly. "I'm fine. Hungry."

He held out the bar for her. "Brought you this."

She reached out for it shyly, but he pulled it back before she could grab it. "First, I think you owe me something. For scaring me so badly."

She smiled a little, motioning for him to come closer. He leaned in, and she gently kissed his cheek. "How's that?"

He grinned, handing her the candy. "Perfect."

Their lives were perfect. Until they considered college. Clearly, Maya wouldn't be able to afford it, and she wouldn't take money from anyone else. Furthermore, she kept disappearing, giving her friends no clues as to where she was. Finally, the summer ended, and Riley left for the University of Oregon. Lucas planned to leave a little later in the year, choosing the University of California. Berkeley. Maya stayed silent whenever he brought up college, and eventually he learned to not bring it up. Their last date before he left was magical - chocolate covered strawberries and two tuna melts from the NightHawk Diner. And then he was gone.

* * *

He woke up, crawling silently out of bed so as not to wake his roommate. He yawned, searching his (still packed) bag for a pair of clean socks. When he couldn't find any, he just turned his old pair inside out.

He lazily checked his phone, confusion clouding his mind when he saw a text from Maya.

**Truth or dare?**

He smiled, knowing it was her favorite game. He texted back quickly.

_Dare._

Her reply was almost instant.

**Dare you to go to the ground floor of whatever building you're in and wait for five minutes.**

_?_

**I won't text back until you do.**

Sighing, he threw on a shirt and trudged down the stairs. He sat in the ground floor of the building for three minutes before receiving another text.

**Now you ask me.**

He raised an eyebrow.

_Ok. Truth or dare?_

**Truth.**

_Where are you right now?_

There was a long pause before she answered, which only added to his suspicion.

**The library. Truth or dare?**

He bit his lip. She was up to something.

_Dare._

**OK. Walk outside.**

He did as he was told. He shivered as he sent another text.

_That all?_

**Not quite. Turn around.**

He turned slowly, only to see a cowboy hat laying on the ground.

_Maya…_

**Walk back inside.**

_Maya, please tell me what I'm thinking is right._

**I'm not a psychic, Lucas. I dunno what you're thinkin**

He rolled his eyes and walked inside, trying not to let his nervousness show. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and he turned, catching a hint of blonde hair disappear in the corner of his eye.

"Gotcha."

She was standing behind him, wearing the cowboy hat he'd gotten her. At first the two didn't do anything - they just stared at each other. Finally, he gathered the courage to walk to her.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I'm scared. If I touch you, will you disappear?"

She laughed at his tentativeness. "Of course not."


	5. Chapter 5

That pretty much brought them up to date. They stood, facing each other, smiling ridiculously.

"What're you doing here?" He asked.

"I came to visit." She replied. "And to apply for a scholarship."

"Really?" His smile grew impossibly wider. "That's great, Maya!"

She grabbed his hand and led him back outside. "I've got some time before I need to meet with the person. Let's get some coffee."

He didn't bother to tell her he hated coffee - he was too happy. So he let himself be dragged to Starbucks. He already knew her order - everyone did. Straight black. It was the only thing she could afford when she started drinking coffee, and she had stuck with it. He set her cup down on their table.

"I thought you didn't want a scholarship." He said, sipping his hot chocolate.

"It was the only way I could be with you." She replied, stealing a spoonfull of his whipped cream. "I couldn't afford it here."

"What about your mom?" He asked. "Won't she be mad?"

Maya's mom hadn't wanted her to go to the same college as him. She said it was 'impractical to follow her boyfriend to college'.

"I don't care about her." Maya replied. "I just wanted to see you again."

They drank their drinks in silence. Finally, Lucas asked "What if you don't get the scholarship?"

She stared into her coffee cup. "I don't know."

"Hey." He put his hand under her chin, tilting her head up. "Let's not think about that right now. Let's just focus on the act that you're here."

She smiled, leaning across the table to press her mouth against his. And though he never liked the taste of coffee, it was delicious on her lips. He leaned into her, deepening the kiss. When they finally broke free, she smiled up at him.

"Together forever?" She asked quietly.

"Together forever."


	6. Epilogue

**Hey! I'm back with the epilogue. Thank you all _so much _for reviewing. It made my day. Special thanks to Codymitchell1 and all the guests who reviewed. So, I hope you enjoy the epilogue.**

**Btw this _is_ the last thing I'll be updating for this story. Sorry.**

* * *

He walked into the cafe, wearing a leather hunting jacket and jeans. It was a cold February morning, and the place was nearly empty. He walked to the counter, watching the girl at the counter play with her phone.

"What can I getcha?" She asked lazily. He smiled at her attitude - she reminded him of Maya back in highschool.

"A hot chocolate and a cup of classic black, please." He responded, pulling out his wallet.

"It'll be up in a sec." She told him. He nodded, wandering to the pickup counter.

She had never tried any other coffee. Always said black was good enough for her, and that he needed to stop ordering hot chocolates. Yeah, right. Like that was ever going to happen.

"Here you go, sir." The second worker handed him two cups.

"Thanks." He mumbled, heading back towards the door. His phone buzzed.

"Hey, Farkle." He greeted his friend setting the phone between his shoulder and his ear and pushing the door open. "What's up?"

He descended the stairs, walking towards the parking lot. "Really? You two are getting married?"

Setting the drinks down on the roof of the car, he fished through his bag for the keys. "That's great, man. Congratulations."

Unlocking the door, he handed Maya one of the cups, setting the other down in the cupholder. He swung into his seat, closing the door. "I gotta go. I'll see you two back in New York."

She looked at him quizzically, sipping her coffee as he talked. "Yeah, bye."

"Who was that?" She asked.

"That was actually Farkle." He replied, starting the car.

"Really?" She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "I haven't heard from him and Riley in forever. How are they?"

"They're good." He told her. "Getting married soon."

"Wow, good for them." She said. "I always thought he'd end up with Smackle."

"Really?" It was his turn to be surprised.

"Yeah. They just seemed so right for each other."

"I guess."

He pulled the car onto the highway. "I can't wait to see Auggie after all these years."

"Yeah. I wanna see what Ava turned out like." She laughed.

"Well, we'll be there in a few hours." He said, smiling.

"Yeah. I can't wait." She took another sip of her coffee. He put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. She sighed happily as he kissed her forehead, then sat up.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing. We should just be safe." She replied.

"Yeah." He agreed. "Especially with the baby."

"Would you please stop bringing up the baby?" She asked, annoyed.

"Whatever you want, Maya." He shook his head, grinning.

"I'm glad I ended up with you, Cowboy."

"Me too."

* * *

_anyway i hate myself for ever writing anything like this, but i figure i'll leave it up because i'm abandoning this account once i finish **unyc**__._

_hope y'all have good lives._


End file.
